The Birth of a Bookstore---Lelia and Annie Taylor's Story

On May 11, 1999, a mother and daughter went out to dinner for the mother's birthday. Over the course of this dinner, the subject of, "If you could own any business in the world, what would you choose?" came up. Without hesitation, a bookstore was the answer from both mother and daughter, and a momentous decision to follow that dream was made.

The next question was, inevitably, "OK, so what do we do now?". The first step, besides learning everything possible about the book business, was finding the perfect location. After a few false starts at Stony Point and Cary Town, the two intrepid partners found a terrific location at the Steinmart Festival Shopping Center on Midlothian Turnpike.

Once a place was found, the ball really started to roll and time began to speed by. After what seemed like endless months of construction work to get the place ready for occupancy, it was time to get some shelving for all of the books.

Getting the shelving installed was beyond exciting. It was beautiful, it smelled wonderful, and the place was finally starting to really look like a real bookstore. Along the way, other necessary items were accumulated to give the store the unique and comfortable look the mother and daughter wanted.

Once the shelving was installed and all of the extra furniture had been bought, it was time to get the most important things for the store: books. An inventory specialist selected what would be needed to fill up the shelves with the best selections of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Opening day finally arrived on May 20, 2000, and everything was as ready as it was ever going to be. The displays were finished, the computer systems were running perfectly, and it was time to see if the reality matched the dream.

The grand opening proved to be a resounding success, especially the handprint wall. Customers loved being able to get messy with the paints (washable and non-toxic, of course) and write a message of well-wishes for the store. Before too long, the wall will be covered entirely in handprints, so come in before it's too late to leave yours.

Every bookstore should have a cat, and Creatures 'n Crooks is no exception to that rule. Hamilton, adopted from the SPCA, lives in the store and proves to be a great draw for children and adults alike. He looks lazy and sleepy but he can also be playful and affectionate and sometimes even a little pushy. He loves attention, so come on in and give him a scratch on the chin if you're in the area.

So, will Creatures 'n Crooks Bookshoppe live happily ever after? Well, that's up to you, the faithful customer. Come on in sometime!